1. Field of the Disclosure
The disclosure relates to a layered refractory lining for a furnace used in the beneficiation of titanium ore. More particularly, the disclosure relates to a refractory body for lining a furnace, the refractory body comprising a major proportion of alumina and a minor proportion of zirconia.
2. Description of the Related Art
Rotary hearth furnaces have been described for the beneficiation of low grade titanium ores, such as ilmenite, which contain iron oxide, titanium dioxide, and metal oxide impurities, into products containing high levels of titanium oxides such as titanium slag, and metallic iron. However, beneficiating a low grade ore which contains titanium dioxide and metal oxide impurities by reduction in a rotary hearth process can pose processing challenges. In particular, the titanium-rich slags produced can be highly corrosive to the refractory materials which are typically used to line the furnace, causing degradation of the lining, which results in increased production downtime to repair or replace the refractory.
Unlike typical ilmenite smelting processes, in which a freeze lining of the slag acts as a protective barrier between the refractory and the molten slag, the molten slag in a rotary hearth process can be in direct contact with the refractory, and therefore a corrosion-resistant refractory is essential.